US Markets - Five Points

1. US markets are mildly lower, probably on technicals.

2. What’s different in Mamdani’s New York? Nothing.

3. I had to look up the “Mandela Effect.” Some of the odder examples are remembering the Monopoly Man with a monocle he never wore, picturing a black tip on Pikachu’s tail that never existed, confidently quoting Darth Vader as “Luke, I am your father” when the line is “No, I am your father,” and swearing the Fruit of the Loom logo once had a cornucopia. Others misremember the Evil Queen saying “Mirror, mirror on the wall” instead of “Magic mirror,” believe Shaggy from Scooby-Doo had an Adam’s apple, recall Curious George swinging from a tail he never had, think car mirrors say “objects in mirror may be closer” rather than “are closer,” and picture Rodin’s Thinker resting his fist on his forehead instead of his chin. Our brains confidently invent details that never actually existed. It wasn’t even the Berenstein Bears.

4. My son interviewed me for a project about my past and what lessons were to be learned. The lesson is the same way as one my father taught me, which my younger self rolled his eyes at and ignored whenever he could. You have to work hard. I was lucky in my career (“struck by lightning” a friend told me), but you can’t rely on luck. Nothing will come to you unless you work hard.

5. I got to interview someone famous (in UFC and jiu-jitsu circles). After it was over, he asked me about my plans for the book, and told him I would release it in March, then continue adding chapters as I interview new practitioners. Then I’ll spend a year or two giving copies to mostly disinterested people around New York and send a bunch to podcasters.